Perfection through Renunciation

Renunciation is one of the important aspect for a practicing devotee who decided to walk the path to liberation. The term renunciation itself in nature is somewhat pessimistic to modern mind though it is one of the major aspect in the life of a follower of Vedic religion. The reason of this kind of mentality is due to lack of knowledge regarding what does renunciation mean. Because most of the time when talk of renunciation comes we think that one has to leave everything , his house, family, society, will have to take a saffron dress and go to some forest and live a life of beggar. This is the notion most of us possess regarding renunciation. So we become afraid when some spiritualists talks about renunciation specially in today’s date where acquiring possession became a way of Life. Let us see renunciation and its importance from the perspective of Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads.

We see in chapter eighteen of Bhagavad Gita when Arjuna expressed his wish to know about renunciation BG 18.1: Arjuna said: O mighty-armed one, I wish to understand the purpose of renunciation [tyāga] and of the renounced order of life [sannyāsa], O killer of the Keśī demon, master of the senses.

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Then Krishna giving a very nice definition of renunciation. Krishna said as follows

BG 18.2: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what great learned men call the renounced order of life [sannyāsa]. And giving up the results of all activities is what the wise call renunciation [tyāga].

Then Krishna go on saying about his opinion on renunciation. He emphasis on not giving up activities , but to perform activities and dedicate the results to him, He advised that activities like penance, charity , sacrifice should not be given up but the results of this activities should be given to him, and he gives the original defination of renunciation.

BG 18.11: It is indeed impossible for an embodied being to give up all activities. But he who renounces the fruits of action is called one who has truly renounced.

So Krishna here equaling renunciation with tyāga which means sacrifice. Renunciation is the broader definition of sacrifice. Sacrifice leads to renunciation. Now the question may arise what does sacrifice or renunciation has anything to do in spiritual progress, in other words what is necessity of sacrifices. Krishna very nicely removing this doubt in chapter four of BG where He is talking about different kind of sacrifices like

1.dravyamaya-yajña : There are persons who are sacrificing their possessions in the form of various kinds of charities. In India, the rich mercantile community or princely orders open various kinds of charitable institutions like dharma-śālā, anna-kṣetra, atithi-śālā, anāthālaya and vidyā-pīṭha. In other countries, too, there are many hospitals, old age homes and similar charitable foundations meant for distributing food, education and medical treatment free to the poor. All these charitable activities are called dravyamaya-yajña.

2. tapomaya-yajña: There are others who, for higher elevation in life or for promotion to higher planets within the universe, voluntarily accept many kinds of austerities such as candrāyaṇa and cāturmāsya. These processes entail severe vows for conducting life under certain rigid rules. For example, under the cāturmāsya vow the candidate does not shave for four months during the year (July to October), he does not eat certain foods, does not eat twice in a day or does not leave home. Such sacrifice of the comforts of life is called tapomaya-yajña.

3. yoga-yajña: There are still others who engage themselves in different kinds of mystic yogas like the Patañjali system (for merging into the existence of the Absolute), or haṭha-yoga or aṣṭāńga-yoga (for particular perfections). And some travel to all the sanctified places of pilgrimage. All these practices are called yoga-yajña.

4. svādhyāya-yajña: There are others who engage themselves in the studies of different Vedic literatures, specifically the Upanishads and Vedānta-sūtras, or the Sāńkhya philosophy. All of these are called svādhyāya-yajña. or engagement in the sacrifice of studies.

After giving information of several types of sacrifices Krishna explaining that all this sacrifices of work are ultimately meant for attaining transcendental knowledge. BG 4.33: O chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice performed in knowledge is better than the mere sacrifice of material possessions. After all, O son of Pṛthā, all sacrifices of work culminate in transcendental knowledge.

So thus we understand that renunciation actually leads us to transcendental or spiritual Knowledge. And what is that transcendental knowledge ? Krishna saying in BG 4.35: Having obtained real knowledge from a self-realized soul, you will never fall again into such illusion, for by this knowledge you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or, in other words, that they are Mine. The knowledge is hence to see every animate and inanimate that is within this world is part and parcel of Krishna. Which the Isa Upanishad is talking about Isa 1:Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. So when we see the world with the eyes of this knowledge we come to know the original meaning of renunciation i.e. One should understand that, factually, nothing belongs to anyone. Then where is the question of renunciation? Everything is Krishna’s property even we are also, so what one can do to suit the purpose of the meaning of renunciation is employing everything in the service of Krishna, that is perfection of renunciation.